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  • Battery Tender and Electrolysis

    I have a Schumacher Battery Tender, it has a light for charging, charged and check battery. I am trying to use it to perform electrolysis on my project bikes tank. I notice that when I connect the leads it will go to charging for maybe a minute then goes to check battery setting.

    IS it still working for the electrolysis at that point? Do I need to get an actual charger to do this?
    Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

    When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

    81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
    80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


    Previously owned
    93 GSX600F
    80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
    81 XS1100 Special
    81 CB750 C
    80 CB750 C
    78 XS750

  • #2
    Not sure 'bout that DG, but you could check the amp draw with a DMM. The tender might think that there's a problem with the "battery" it's connected to. If it's one of those 1.5 amp ones, that might be too weak anyway.
    2H7 (79) owned since '89
    3H3 owned since '06

    "If it ain't broke, modify it"

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    • #3
      Meter Time!!

      Some tenders/chargers have a safety feature which requires the charger to sense a voltage between the charging leads from the battery being charged before the charger itself will output voltage/current. This minimizes sparks when connecting the device.

      To test if your tender has this feature just leave the charger leads disconnected, connect the charging leads to a voltmeter, and plug the charger/maintainer into the wall. If the meter reads 12.5 or above then your likely ok. If not then you've got the safety feature.

      Also ensure that the meter still reads voltage after a few minutes. It may also be that the tender overheats from putting out its max voltage/current over time.

      Never seen it posted how much current at what voltage works well for your task. On the positive side, using the tender will be safer/slower even if you have to play peek-a-boo for a couple days..

      HTH.

      Comment


      • #4
        Well, I went back and reset everything, moving the electrode in the tank a bit and it seems to be staying in the charge position now.

        One way or another there is defintiely stuff in the water and gathering on the rod.
        Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

        When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

        81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
        80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


        Previously owned
        93 GSX600F
        80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
        81 XS1100 Special
        81 CB750 C
        80 CB750 C
        78 XS750

        Comment


        • #5
          Some battery chargers run in an automatic mode where they sense the condition of the battery and adjust the amps to keep from cooking the battery. Some chargers have a manual mode that bypasses this feature. It's usually the higher end charges that are automatic. I've got a real old charger that throws a constant 4 amps - no matter what. It'll fry a battery if you aren't careful, but it works great for electrolysis. You're welcome to borrow it if you have any more trouble.
          I think I have a loose screw behind the handlebars.

          '79 XS11 Standard, Jardine 4/1, Dyna DC1-1 Coils, 145 mains, 45 pilots, plastic floats - 25.7mm, XV920 fuel valves, inline fuel filters, speed bleeders, Mikes XS pods, spade-type fuse block, fork brace, progressive fork springs/shocks, manual petcocks, 750 FD, Venture cam chain tensioner, SS brake lines

          Comment


          • #6
            This morning it looked pretty merky in the water and when I pulled the rod otu it was coated with all sorts of nastiness. So I dumped the water out and saw nothing but metal. Put some oil in it and such to keep the metal from rusting (hopefully). Looks like the charger kept at it until the rod was so coated it could no longer conduct. Not sure what some of the stuff on there was, but it wasn't metal. Looked like crusty stuff on crap on the bottom of the ocean!!
            Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

            When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

            81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
            80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


            Previously owned
            93 GSX600F
            80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
            81 XS1100 Special
            81 CB750 C
            80 CB750 C
            78 XS750

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by DGXSER View Post
              I have a Schumacher Battery Tender, - - -
              Hi DGXSER,
              after hearing my revised over-winter battery maintenance plan (Go straight to step 14, toss the old battery and buy a new one a week before first Spring startup) my son bought me one of those. The label sez it's got charge mode, maintenance mode and de-sulphating mode.
              So I read the little bilingual (English & Spanish) booklet that's in the package to find out how to drive the thing.
              Well, there's more safety warnings than you'd find on the battery room hatch of a diesel-electric submarine but operating instructions? Not so much.
              There ain't no switches on it so does it automatically switch from charge to maintain to de-sulphate or what?
              Fred Hill, S'toon
              XS11SG with Spirit of America sidecar
              "The Flying Pumpkin"

              Comment


              • #8
                Hey Fred,

                Mine is older than the de-sulphating models so I don't have a clue about that. But they do automatically switch from charging to off or stand by. More or less a trickle charger that knows when the battery is fully charged and kicks off. When it drips charge it kicks back on to recharge it.
                Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

                When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

                81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
                80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


                Previously owned
                93 GSX600F
                80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
                81 XS1100 Special
                81 CB750 C
                80 CB750 C
                78 XS750

                Comment

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